If you’re a developer making an app in North America or the United Kingdom, have you ever thought about making a Spanish or French version of your software? Google thinks you should, which is why they demoed a translation service baked right into the Android SDK at Google I/O earlier this year. The pilot program is now over and today the search giant is announcing that any developer can immediately start using the service, with costs starting at about $75 and going up depending on the size of your app.
Should you bother translating? Check out these data points:
The developers of Zombie Ragdoll used this tool to launch their new game simultaneously in 20 languages in August 2013. When they combined app translation with local marketing campaigns, they found that 80% of their installs came from non-English-language users. Dating app SayHi Chat expanded into 13 additional languages using the App Translation Service. They saw 120% install growth in localized markets and improved user reviews of the professionally translated UI. The developer of card game G4A Indian Rummy found that the App Translation Service was easier to use than their previous translation methods, and saw a 300% increase with user engagement in localized apps.
In other words, what are you waiting for? It would be ignorant of you to assume that everyone speaks your native language, so why not spend a little bit of money to make your app accessible to the 65 million people living in France. The 82 million people living in Germany. And don’t forget about the 1.3 billion people living in China (who will probably pirate your app anyway, but ignore that).
